Bike Rivals

The pitch

Race through traffic in Bike Rivals! Dodge obstacles, overtake opponents and chase victory. Earn coins, unlock bikes and upgrade your ride as you conquer challenging races and climb the road to glory.

Controls & how it runs

Hold the screen or left mouse button to accelerate, then drag left or right to steer. Keyboard: hold Space or Enter and steer with A/D or arrow keys. Release to slow down, dodge traffic and win races.

Getting a run going takes exactly one press: Press start, up top, and the game boots inside this page — nothing downloads in the background and no form wants your details before the first jump. The cabinet is drawn for a flexible screen and listens to mouse, keyboard or touch, whichever the game prefers. It reshapes itself for tall and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all get the full picture. Given a fullscreen button, use it — scores look better at full size, that's just science.

Pro tips for racing cabinets

• Brake before the corner, never in it. Every cabinet on this row rewards the driver who arrives slow and leaves fast over the one who arrives heroic and leaves through the fence.
• The racing line is a rumour — verify it. Following the suggested arc is a start, but the fastest route is usually the one that looks slightly wrong until it works.
• Race the clock, not the car beside you. Mirrors and rivals eat attention; your split times don't care who's alongside, and neither should you until the final lap.

Bike Rivals — quick-fire questions

Does Bike Rivals cost anything to play?

Not a token. The cabinet is free from the first run to the five-hundredth — no wallet, no sign-up, no toll booth hiding three levels in. The adverts around the page are what keep the floor's lights on.

What sort of game is Bike Rivals?

It stands on our Racing row — that's the family it plays most like. The pitch above is the publisher's own rundown of what it throws at you and what it hands back.

Can I play Bike Rivals on my phone?

Happily, yes. It runs inside the browser on phones and tablets the same way it does on a computer. It reshapes itself for tall and wide screens alike, so phone, tablet and desktop all get the full picture.

Do I need to install anything first?

Nothing whatsoever. Bike Rivals is an HTML5 game: hit the start button and it boots on this page, and shutting the tab sweeps the cabinet clean behind you.

Before you wander off

Personal best banked, or still chasing it? Either way the full Racing row is powered on and waiting — Forty-one racing cabinets where the finish line is a rumour until the last corner. Includes ragdoll entrants who treat the crash as a racing line.